Psych assessment for man who claims to be God
A man arrested in a strange incident at the weekend has been remanded for a psychiatric assessment after announcing in court that he was God.
The man was granted interim name suppression by Christchurch District Court Judge Brian Callaghan at the request of defence counsel Rupert Ward.
Judge Callaghan remanded him to Hillmorton Hospital for a psychiatric assessment under the Criminal Procedures (Mentally Impaired Persons) Act to determine his fitness to plead.
The 20-year-old man entered no pleas to charges of attempting to intentionally injure police dog Quinn, assault with intent to avoid arrest, remaining in a building without authority, and being found without reasonable excuse in a building.
No bail hearing was necessary. The police did not oppose the man’s release on bail, and then the request for the psychiatric assessment remand was granted by consent.
The man was arrested after a member of the public allegedly saw a naked man acting suspiciously in an industrial yard at Hornby about 6am on Sunday.
A police dog tracked the man, who was dressed by then, but the police allege the man tried to hit the dog, poke its eyes, and break its legs.
The alleged offender was bitten several times and was hopping when he went into the dock in the main police court today. He had the support of his parents in court. They supported the remand to Hillmorton Hospital.
The man had declined to have a duty solicitor speak for him initially. He denied he was the person named in the charges and said, “I am God.”
Judge Callaghan then asked if anyone in court could confirm the man’s actual name, and the police and parents were able to help. His father told the court he thought the man was “unwell”.
Judge Callaghan remanded the man to September 7.
Category: News
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